ArrrrEnnn

I'm a fairly new nurse, graduated a little over a year ago. A lot of you really sound bitter and discouraging. I work in a LTC. I never wanted to. I hated the thought. RNs in my mind didn't belong there. I was wrong. Nursing is changing. There are plenty of different types of jobs now for a nurse. Not just typical bedside nursing. Keep learning, make yourself valuable. Stop being so whiney.

I'm a new nurse. Less than 6 months. I've never heard it called that.

I don't think I've ever heard the term crispy critter towards a patient. Wow.

We heard all kinds of ambulation terms in school. Walkie Talkie, wanderer, etc. I don't think Walkie talkie is anymore offensive than wanderer and they even have a product called a wander guard in the LTC I'm at. That we put on patients and tell them they are called a wander guard.

http://slang.uoregon.edu/pub_search.lasso?&RecordIDNumber=13263&Process=detail01 That's weird. University of Oregon must not know that.

I wasn't asking anything. I was stating that if you have an opinion, it would be nice to explain why you take offense and when you don't explain it fully, I will ask a question. Hence the questions I had for you that you seem to think means I felt I wasn't perfect.

I think that's a perfect description of it.

I wasn't stating I'm perfect and the fact that I'm new and came in to this thread wanting opinions, should be a clear sign that I'm seeking opinions. With your opinion I would prefer explanation. No need to confuse that with defense :)

Seems like there are a whole bunch of us on here who make poor choices on here.

So people who use these terms lack compassion and is distasteful or just when they use the term?

So why would it be offensive to you?

I apologized when she said she took offense and she never explained after that. The name of my original post is "Had a patient fall."

We do several things we don't always do in front of patients. Would you constantly remind a patient they have sexual behaviors or dementia?

Thank you guys. I felt really bad when I used it and the person took offense. I thought I had been saying something awful and not realizing it.

Yeah, I do. Our student policies through NSO turned into professional policies once we graduated.

I think there is a lot of terms we don't use in front of patients. I don't see anything wrong with them either. I was just wondering because someone said something to me in another post.

That's what I thought but someone on here told me it was demeaning and disrespectful.

Quicker to say when you are in a hurry.

Have you heard the term Walkie talkie used towards a completely independent ambulatory patient? Do you find it offensive?

Thank you so much for your support!

I think since this is my first time having someone fall I'm just super paranoid. I talked to the DoN and she said I did everything right. Thank you guys.

It's also not meant towards a patient specifically in LTC. It's used throughout healthcare to mean a person with no ambulation issues. I'm not sure why it's disrespectful and demeaning. I apologize for it being interrupted that way. You can google the phrase though.

I didn't realize it was disrespectful and demeaning. I apologize.

I'm a new RN and I recently started working in the skilled unit at a LTC. I had a patient fall during my shift. She was a Walkie-talkie with no assist. She was using her came and had on rubber soled shoes when she ambulated to the bathroom. When she stood up from the toilet she fell to her right side onto the ground and broke her hip. She cried out for help (this was third shift) and when we found her she was resting her head against the sink. I immediately did a neuro, vital signs and checked for shortening of the limb. I sent her out with the squad, notified the doctor, the family and the DoN. At the time everything, minus the pain from the hip, was coming back within normal limits. This patient was also on Coumadin. The hospital I sent her to called back two days later and said the patient couldn't move her legs and had urinary retention. Turns out she had a brain bleed that complicated the anesthetic from the surgery and now this poor patient has three months to love. I feel awful. I know that there is nothing I could have done to prevent the fall since she had no restrictions on ambulation. I contacted my DoN and she said the paperwork I submitted looked fine but I'm still worried that I will get in trouble. The lady who trained me had all these horror stories, including one that she was actually in trouble for concerning a fall, and I'm worried that I will take the fall for all of this. Any advice?

I think they are actually based in the west somewhere. It's an online university.